The tale of the Yellow Labrador and the Borzoi
by RussianSunFlower
Summary: Maddie the yellow lab runs away from her abusive owner in Canada and finds herself in Mosow, Russia and meets a  stray Borzoi named Ivan. he teaches her about the stray life. No animals were harmed in the making of the fanfic. Rated T may be rated m later
1. Chapter 1

The tale of the yellow Labrador and the Borzoi

I have decided to make this story because I think people should be more aware about animal abuse and strays. Last year in one of my classes I had to make a talk about animal cruelty and it struck me deeply about how many animals in the UK and everywhere in the world have been abused, cast out and even killed by humans. I know this story won't change a thing about it but I just thought it would be nice for people to be aware of what this one is going to be about.

A lone yellow Labrador ran through the empty streets of Montreal at night. She ran as fast as her legs and paws could carry her. She ran and ran and ran never stopping. She couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop. Not until she knew things were safe. Until she was safe. She had no idea where her legs would carry her but she knew the further away the better. You see this Labrador is a sufferer of animal abuse from her owner for the first two years of her life. But when she entered her third, she had gotten tired of being beaten and shouted at everyday so she knew it was time to leave. That's when she decided to run away and start a new life far away.

She ran out of the city and into the countryside. Her silver tag on her red collar made a jingling sound but she didn't care. She was far away from him as possible. Although she was about an hour away from her home, he would somehow find her. The clouds had gathered that night and heavy rain spilled down onto the earth below. Soon the Labrador was soaking wet. She shivered but continued her trek to a safer haven.

She sniffed the ground to find a place to sleep for the night but sadly all she could see around her were fields. She found her way out of one and followed a muddy road. She stopped to smell the air. She could smell the ocean. Yes the ocean! She knew she could find a place to sleep down at the docks. She wagged her tail a little and ran following her nose to the docks. She ran until she saw the deep blue ocean that looked black at the dark of night. The reflection of the moon shone on to the sea. It looked so peaceful but she had no time to admire the scenery, she had a place to find and rest. She sniffed around until her nose lead her to the cargo ship that stood in front of her. She saw no one and decided to board it. She found a comfortable spot under a bench and lay down. She got comfortable and curled up. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a light sleep.

The lab woke up and yawned. She heard the squawking of seagulls and passing birds. She also heard humans talking to each other and the smell of the ocean was much stronger than it was last night but she took no notice of it. Lots of people were walking around the deck. Carrying heavy boxes and barrows. She lazily make her way over to where she had came onto the ship but something was wrong. It was gone. So was the dock. All she could see a large mass of the ocean. The sea was sparkling because of the reflection of the sun.

She panicked. She shook as the fear had finally set into her. She was all alone. On a ship in the middle of the ocean. She paced around on deck wondering how to get off of the ship. 'I'm all alone.' she thought. She whined and looked out to the sea again. She thought about swimming but she was not a strong swimmer and wouldn't last a few seconds.

She hung her head in sadness and she cried softly. Small tears fell from her eyes and on to her fur.

A golden retriever bounded around on the ship. He barked and his tail wagged back and forth happily. He ran around the dock, almost knocking over anyone who was in his way. "Calm down you crazy mutt!" one man had shouted almost dropping the large barrow he held. But the retriever never took notice. He was too hyper. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a yellow Labrador on the ship too. It was so good to see another dog. He bounded up to her and barked happily. The lab jumped and barked in shock. The retriever got down on his front legs with his butt sticking in the air. His tail wagging happily. "Hey! C'mon lets play!" he said to the lab. She shook her head. "N-No thanks." The retriever got up and went up to her, sniffing her a little. "Aww ok. Hmmm you smell different. I haven't seen you on this ship before." he said to her and stuck his tongue out panting. "That's because I-I don't." she replied and turned away from him. The retriever chuckled and walked to face her. "What is your name anyway and where did you come from?" he asked her and sat in front of her. She noticed that this dog was really nice to her. Offering her to play and not growling or barking at her like other dogs would. "My name is Maddie." She said softly. He barked happily. "That's a nice name! I'm Alfred! My owner owns this ship!" he said excitedly then jumped from side to side. Maddie smiled a little. "T-That's nice." she looked out to the ocean. "Where is this s-ship going?" she asked him. Alfred looked out to the sea with her. "Well from what my master said we are going to Russia I think. There is a place called Moscow that we are going with supplies.

Maddie nodded then she heard another dog barking at them. "Alfred you bloody git! Where have you been?" Maddie turned around and saw a border collie walk towards them. Alfred chuckled. "I've been out her Iggy." The collie barked angrily at him. "It's Arthur you git! Get it right!" Then he saw Maddie. "Alfred who is this?" he asked and came closer to her. He sniffed her a little. "Oh! This is Maddie. She's new." Arthur sat beside her and smiled a little. "Welcome aboard Maddie. I never knew our master got another dog." Maddie looked down. "I-I don't belong here. I came from Canada. I-I ran away" She said and looked at the collie. He had rather large eyebrows and dark green eyes. If she was a human and so was he, she would have blushed a little. He was a handsome dog.

Alfred had asked her why she had ran away from home. She told them about how her owner had physically abused her for three years and she couldn't take it anymore. "Wow. I'm so sorry to hear that Maddie. If you want I can take you to our master. He is a kind man and would never hurt anyone." Maddie shook her head. "N-No thanks Arthur but I've decided when this ship gets to M-Moscow, I'm going to start a new life." The collie nodded. "Are you sure? It's safer here than the streets." Maddie nodded again. "Thank you b-but this is your home n-not mine. I need to find my perfect place." Arthur nodded and smiled. "I understand."

The three dogs looked out towards the sea. They admired how it sparkled in sunlight. The admired the sights. Maddie smelled the new unique smells that filled her nostrils. She wished that living the sea dog life was for her but sadly she knew in her heart it wasn't. No. Fate had lead her on to this boat for a reason and she had to find out what that reason was.


	2. Chapter 2

Maddie had been asleep under the bench she had found the night before. She had slept all day and it looked like she would be sleeping all night. Arthur understood that she wanted to leave when the ship reached the dock in Moscow. But Alfred didn't want her to leave. He thought it would be awesome and cool to have a third dog with them. So they could be seadogs together. And probably have puppies one day. But he knew it wasn't to be.

Arthur had stayed beside her all night just to make sure that she didn't wander and get lost on the ship. Alfred also stayed close but he was too busy barking at the waves that hit off the side of the ship. Arthur rolled his eyes and laid his head down. His mind began to wander to what life would be like without his master. If he just wandered the streets. He thought about living with Maddie in Moscow. He knew places in Moscow that she didn't. For some reason he wanted her to be safe. It was funny though. He only just met her a few hours ago and now he felt like he has known her for years. But for now he would just get some rest.

Alfred got bored of barking at the waves and went to see if Arthur wanted to play. As usual. He was asleep. He looked at Maddie but she was also asleep under the bench. Alfred yawned a little. He went over to Arthur and curled up beside him to get comfy. Then he slowly fell asleep.

The seagulls squawked as the ship neared the dock. As usual they were looking for any scraps or fish that they could pick up. The horn blew to let the crew know that they were reaching the dock. Maddie jumped up and barked at the loud noise. Alfred snickered at her reaction. "It's ok Maddie. It was just the horn." Arthur yawned and got up. He sat down and began to scratch his ear with his foot. "Finally where here." he grunted then licked his lips a little bit. Maddie sniffed the air. It was so different from the air that she usually smelled in Canada.

A few minutes later the ship was tied to the dock and the crew began to unload it's cargo. Maddie looked around her and shivered a little. 'Is this really a good idea?' she thought. The place was so different to her. She had no idea how she would survive out here. She gulped a little then turned to face Arthur and Alfred. "Well, this l-looks like goodbye huh?" she asked then. Alfred nodded and looked down sadly. Arthur nodded.

Maddie was just about to get off the boat, when Arthur stopped her. "Arthur?" she asked him. Curious to why he had stopped her. "Look, I was thinking last night. I know we don't know each other but….I'm coming with you." he said and sat up straight. Maddie wagged her tail a little. "Really but w-why?" she asked him. Arthur looked at his surroundings to find his answer. "Well I was kind of wondering what it would be like to live in Moscow. And, I didn't want you to go through this alone. I know a few places here. Our master had taken us walking a few times here. So I could be your guide or something." he answered her. His ears folded back in embarrassment. Maddie smiled wider. "Thank you." she said and the two began to leave the ship.

"Hey! Hey! Wait for me!" Alfred shouted after them. Arthur scoffed. "Hurry up then you git or you'll get lost!" Arthur had shouted angrily at his companion. Alfred happily followed them, wagging his tail and sticking out his tongue.

When they go into the streets of Moscow, maddie had noticed that there was a lot of stray cats and dogs wandering the streets. She saw some cats curled up in corners and dogs laying on the ground trying to get warmth by the sunlight. Other dogs where begging the public for food and an old woman happily gave a dog half of her sandwich. She also saw a pack of dogs running around the streets. She had never seen so many strays in all her life.

"Why are there s-so many-" "Strays?" Arthur cut her off. "There is many of them in Moscow. I've met a few when I was last here. I don't know why the roam the streets, but the public seem to like them." Maddie nodded and continued to scan the streets. She saw some cats huddled up in an ally with their kittens, taking their time to leave the safety of the ally to go and look for food. A couple of dogs were barking at each other. It looked like a fight was about to happen. "Um…Arthur?" she asked. "Yes." "You said you knew some s-strays. Is their any I should be on the l-look out for?" she asked. Arthur nodded and continued to walk. "Not many of the strays here are dangerous. But there are some you should look out for. There is a French Spaniel called Francis. If you meet him I must warn you. He'll try and mount you." Alfred laughed. "Ah! I remember him! He tried that on you last time!" Arthur turned around and snapped. "Shut up you bloody wanker! One time! It only happened one time!" Alfred found it hard to control his laughter and let out little giggles here and there. Arthur sighed and continued to walk and continued his talk about dangerous strays. "I also know two German Shepherds. Brothers. Ludwig and Gilbert. Ludwig can be okay if you are on his good side, but Gilbert is just like Francis. Funny thing is they are best friends too. And then that leaves Ivan." Maddie turned her head confusingly. "Ivan?" she repeated. Arthur nodded. "He's a Borzoi. A very large dog. He may look sweet but believe me, he's a killer."

Alfred shivered. "I hate that dog. He gives he the creeps!" They continued to walk for a little while, then Arthur stopped. He looked at a tall abandoned building. The windows had been boarded up years ago and the walls had huge cracks and holes running up and down it. "I remember this place. Our master lead us in here when it began to rain one day last time we was here. It's been abandoned for years I think. We could stay here for a while."

The trio went inside and found no traces of other animals living here. Alfred ran over to a corner in the room and lay down. "I'll sleep here." Maddie went and joined him. Followed by Arthur. The thought it would be best to stay together until they got used to their surroundings. The three dogs fell asleep that afternoon.

By the time night had hit, Maddie woke up dehydrated and panting. She didn't want to wake up the other two so, she left the building in her search of water. She wandered down the streets but found no water. She sniffed around and whined.

Another dog hid in the shadows. He watched the lab sniff around. He had never seen her before and wondered if she had wandered from another part of the country.

Maddie panted and whined again. Then she heard a laugh. She spun around to see a spaniel type dog. He had a white and golden coat and his eyes where blue much like hers. "Well, hello madam." The spaniel said cheerfully. "Why are you out here so late and all…..alone?" he said with a hint of lust in his voice. Maddie was so dehydrated she did not know that this was one of the dogs Arthur had warned her about. "I-I need water." she gasped as she panted. The spaniel nodded and made her follow her to a small den in an ally way. The dog who hit in the shadows growled a little and followed them.

He led her over to a pan which was full of water. Maddie began to lick and drink the clear blue substance greedily.

The spaniel watched her then roamed his blue eyes up and down her body. She had a short coat. Unlike his. His was quite long. She also had an interesting scent to her. He smiled at her when she lifted her head to meet his. "S-sorry. I drank quite a l-lot." she stuttered. The spaniel chuckled. "No problem ma chérie. I'm glad you enjoyed it. So what it your name?" he asked . "It's Maddie." the spaniel wagged his fluffy tail. (It's so fluffy!) "Lovely name madam. I'm Francis." He nodded and then Maddie remembered what Arthur had said. This was Francis. One of the dogs Arthur had warned her about.

"F-Francis?" she stuttered. Francis chuckled. "So you have heard about moi? of course you have. I saw you and that collie together earlier. I never knew Arthur was back. Such a smart but stubborn dog. But not like you. Non. You are petite. Beautiful and I would love to add you to my track record." he winked at her.

Maddie gulped and shook violently. She had never had another dog come on to her before. She had no idea what to do. Francis drew closer to her, while she stood on the spot frozen. Francis gave her a dark chuckle. "Don't worry ma chérie. I'll make sure you feel nothing but pleasure. Oui?"

Maddie tried to run, but Francis had grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with his teeth and dragged her back into the ally. She squealed and barked but he would not let go. He jumped on to her back and positioned himself. But just before he started his dirty deed, another dog jumped out from no where and pulled him off her. Maddie coward into a corner and watched as a larger dog began to growl at Francis.

Francis looked at his competitor and shook in fear. Then he ran out of the ally way in terror. The large dog watched as Francis ran away and he pleasure smiled. He trotted over to Maddie and put on his gentlest smile. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked her. Maddie plucked up the courage to meet her saviour. He was tall. Really tall. He had a long snout and strange but exotic violet eyes. He also for some reason had a scarf around his neck. "I-I'm ok. Thank you." she said softly. The large dog nodded and eased her out of the ally. "Where do you live?" he asked her and she looked around. "I-I don't know. I t-think I'm lost." The large dog giggled. "Silly Labrador. You can stay with me for the night da?" Maddie pricked hr ears up. "Really?" He nodded again. "Lets go."

Maddie followed the large dog to what looked like stairs leading to an underground. "I live in the metro station. Many strays do." He went down stairs and waited for Maddie to follow him. He then lead her to a rather large hole in the wall. "Come in. Make yourself at home da!" he said happily. Inside his den he had old worn out blankets covering half of the floor. They were the only items in his den. The large dog lay down and asked Maddie to join him.

"Moscow is cold this year again. We must keep each other warm da?" Maddie nodded. "Um…I never got our n-name." Maddie asked him. "Oh! I'm Ivan! Ivan the borzoi." he said happily and wagged his tail. Maddie thought again. Another dog Arthur had warned her about. But he couldn't be that bad. He did save her. "I'm Maddie." she said quietly and lay her head down.

As Ivan laid his head down, the only thought that ran through his mind made him smile. 'You'll become one with me Maddie.' he thought and fell asleep next to her.

I read somewhere that there are many strays in Russia. Especially the metro station. The animals know where to get on and off the train. It's really amazing too!


End file.
